Her first strike hadn't finished off the opponent she'd envisioned, but the young woman's reaction was astonishingly swift. She dropped low, executing a midair flip kick. The tip of her foot blazed with golden light, like a sword edge flickering in and out of visibility.
The Indestructible Five Elements Sword — Gold Sword! An unstoppable force that could pierce through anything.
Her small foot seemed to transform into a razor-sharp blade, thrusting straight toward Yang Kai's chest.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, reaching out to catch her ankle. At the same time, he channeled his Sacred Origin Power to neutralize her attack, lifting her off the ground and holding her in his hand like a toy.
Her skirt fluttered wildly, nearly exposing her, but she was quick-eyed and quick-handed, slamming one hand down to hold her skirt in place.
Just as her face was flushed with annoyance, she suddenly found herself hanging upside down, looking right into Yang Kai's grinning face.
"Huh... Uncle Sect Master!" The girl recognized Yang Kai immediately, a delighted smile breaking across her pretty face as she called out in her sweet, innocent voice.
"So it is you!" Yang Kai nodded gently, using a slight wrist motion to flip her upright and set her down. He studied her youthful face and frowned. "Yun'er, what are you doing here?"
This young girl was none other than the little orphaned girl Huang Juan had taken in years ago — Lin Yun'er!
Back when Yang Kai had been returning from the Imperial Garden, passing through a city near the Carefree Sea, he had happened upon Huang Juan and brought her back to the Lingxiao Pavilion. Along with her had come this little girl.
Lin Yun'er had only been five or six years old at the time, but she had already displayed astonishing physical strength.
Yang Kai had noticed something unusual about her body and asked Ye Xiyun to examine her closely. Ye Xiyun later told him that Lin Yun'er possessed extraordinary talent — a special physique known as the Dominator's Body of Force!
It was an exceedingly rare physique, perhaps connected to some kind of sea creature. After all, according to Huang Juan, Lin Yun'er's mother had sea beast blood in her veins.
A martial artist born with this physique possessed divine strength from birth, and as their cultivation advanced, the growth of that power would become increasingly terrifying.
Before leaving the Dark Star, Yang Kai had passed down the Indestructible Five Elements Sword to her. Seven or eight years had flown by since then. The little girl who'd been five or six was now a budding young flower, on the cusp of womanhood.
Judging from the five-colored radiance around her body, she had already achieved minor success with the Indestructible Five Elements Sword. Combined with her Dominator's Body of Force physique, the combat power she could unleash was nothing short of terrifying.
Her cultivation level wasn't particularly high. Under Yang Kai's probing, she was only at the third level of the Entering Saint Realm.
Even with the Lingxiao Pavilion's current wealth and resources, and with a powerhouse like Ye Xiyun personally guiding her, reaching the third level of the Entering Saint Realm in seven or eight years was nothing short of heaven-blessed talent.
This little girl would absolutely become a dazzling new star of the Star Domain in the future!
Yang Kai looked at her as though gazing upon a future supreme powerhouse.
And the Indestructible Five Elements Sword he had passed down seemed tailor-made for her, perfectly complementing her Dominator's Body of Force physique, allowing her — at a mere second or third level of the Entering Saint Realm — to trade blows head-on with a first-level Returning Void Realm martial artist!
The degree to which she could fight above her level far exceeded Yang Kai's expectations.
Even he himself, at the third level of the Entering Saint Realm, would have been unable to withstand the attacks of a Returning Void Realm powerhouse.
But it was clear that despite Lin Yun'er's fierce combat prowess, the power inside her body was nearly depleted. She bore injuries of varying severity — she was clearly at the end of her rope.
Her spirits, however, seemed fine.
"When the Dark Star descended into chaos, I happened to be carrying out a task for the Grand Elder at the Qiantian Sect. I couldn't get back, so I've been stuck here ever since," Lin Yun'er said with a hint of grievance.
Two years ago, she had only been eleven or twelve. Drifting outside for two years, she had missed the Lingxiao Pavilion desperately — missed Ye Xiyun, who had guided her so carefully, missed Huang Juan, who had cared for her like a mother, missed every blade of grass and tree in the Lingxiao Pavilion, and missed all her senior brothers and sisters.
She had always appeared strong and resilient, perhaps owing to losing her parents at such a young age. But now, upon seeing Yang Kai, a layer of mist rose in her large eyes, and her small mouth pouted.
"I see! But why are you on this battlefield?" Yang Kai frowned. Who was the city lord of Mohai City, and why had they put Lin Yun'er out here to fight?
He could see that virtually everyone who had gone out to face the enemy had done so with the resolve to die, buying time. Regardless of anything else, Lin Yun'er was a member of the Lingxiao Pavilion, and she was far too young. This was not something she should have been asked to do under any circumstances.
"I came out on my own. I wanted to do whatever I could to help," Lin Yun'er said, sniffing.
"Good!" Yang Kai nodded firmly, patting Lin Yun'er on the head. He thought for a moment, then retrieved a recovery spirit pill from his spatial ring and handed it to her. "Take this."
"Mm." Lin Yun'er had no guard whatsoever around Yang Kai. Even after seven or eight years apart, she swallowed the pill without a second thought.
Yang Kai looked up toward Xia Ningshang. "Little Senior Sister, escort them back to the city!"
"Alright!" Xia Ningshang responded, her slender hands waving through the air as she formed a series of intricate seals.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged at her call. Under Xia Ningshang's guidance, that ambient spiritual energy seemed to undergo some mysterious transformation, turning into streams of light that flowed into the exhausted martial artists' bodies.
The next instant, every Qiantian Sect warrior shuddered, their spirits suddenly restored to full vitality.
The gazes they turned on Xia Ningshang were filled with utter disbelief!
They had no idea how Xia Ningshang had accomplished it — refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and channeling it into their bodies to nourish their nearly depleted meridians and dantians.
"Follow me!" Xia Ningshang called out. The pale blue gem on her forehead blazed with brilliant light, making her look like a goddess descended to the mortal realm. Wherever that radiance passed, all the enemies felt an inexplicable force wash over their hearts, draining them of their fighting spirit.
Xia Ningshang led the group of fewer than a hundred through the enemy ranks, carving a bloody path toward Du Yanling and the others.